Actor Sidney Poitier is 86
Actress Marj Dusay is 77
Jazz and soul singer Nancy Wilson is 76
Singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie is 72
Actress Sandy Duncan is 67
Guitarist J. Geils of The J. Geils Band is 67
Actress Brenda Blethyn is 67
Actor Peter Strauss is 66
Singer-bassist Walter Becker of Steely Dan is 63
Country singer Kathie Baillie of Baillie and the Boys is 62
Actor John Voldstad is 62
Actor Anthony Stewart Head is 59
Actor James Wilby is 55
Bassist Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing) is 54
Actor Joel Hodgson is 53
Singer Ian Brown of Stone Roses is 50
Actor French Stewart is 49
Model Cindy Crawford is 47
Actor Andrew Shue is 46
Actress Lili Taylor is 46
Singer Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys is 38
Actress Lauren Ambrose is 35
Actor Jay Hernandez is 35
Guitarist Coy Bowles of Zac Brown Band is 34
Actress Majandra Delfino is 32
Singer Rihanna is 25.

You may not be a disease detective, but now you can play one at home.

The nation’s public health agency has released a free app for the iPad called “Solve the Outbreak.” It allows users to run through fictional outbreaks and make decisions: Do you quarantine the village? Talk to people who are sick?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the app was designed in-house and wouldn’t give an estimate for development costs.

The agency says it is using social media to educate the public about diseases and to promote an appreciation for public health work. The app went live this week.

Actress Carlin Glynn is 73
Singer Smokey Robinson is 73
Singer Bobby Rogers of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles is 73
Singer Lou Christie is 70
Actor Michael Nader is 68
Guitarist Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath is 65
Actor Jeff Daniels is 58
Singer-guitarist Dave Wakeling (General Public, English Beat) is 57
Talk-show host Lorianne Crook is 56
Actor Leslie David Baker is 55
Singer Seal is 50
Actress Jessica Tuck is 50
Drummer Jon Fishman of Phish is 48
Actress Justine Bateman is 47
Actor Benicio Del Toro is 46
Actress Bellamy Young is 43
Drummer Daniel Adair of 3 Doors Down is 38
Singer-actress Haylie Duff is 28
Actress Victoria Justice is 20.

The Bridge of Hope Child Advocacy Center will once again host it’s annual fundraiser, “It’s Always Tea-Time,” March 16 at the Platte River Mall, starting at 10:00am.

This annual event was created to assist the Bridge of Hope in fundraising and to increase community support and awareness.  This year’s event will serve as the official kickoff to their “Wish Away Child Abuse,” campaign.

Children will be able to participate in activities, games, Tea’s of many colors and more.

Tickets for the event are $5.00 per child and can be purchased at the Platte River Mall office, the Viaero Kiosk at the Mall or at the Old Town Square in Downtown North Platte.  Adults will not be required to purchase a ticket, but all children in attendance need to be accompanied by an adult.

If you would like to make a donation, you can purchase a tea set for the event.  For more information, call the Mall office at 308-534-3090.  Additionally, donations can be mailed to The Bridge of Hope at 410 W. 5th Street.  All donors will be recognized at the event and all proceeds benefit the Bridge of Hope.

Sunday, February 24th, the North Platte Catholic Schools will hold the 38th annual Irish Fest celebration at St. Patrick’s High School, 500 S. Silber, from 12:00 Noon to 3:30 p.m. The entire community is invited to get into the Irish spirit with a day full of family fun!

The event features a turkey and noodles dinner served from 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., mini carnival games and prizes, Fun Jumpz, a silent auction, bake sale, and raffle. All are invited!

This year’s Irish Fest Raffle offers a 50” HDTV, an Acer Netbook mini laptop computer, $1,000 CASH, and 4 tickets to see Taylor Swift in concert in Omaha on March 14th. Raffle tickets are $2.00 each and are on sale now through Sunday. They can be purchased from any McDaid or St. Patrick’s student, at the North Platte Catholic Schools Endowment (601 S. Tabor), or at McDaid and St. Patrick’s schools. Raffle tickets will also be sold at Irish Fest. The raffle drawing will take place at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday, the 24th. You do not have to be present to win.

Records indicate that the event originally called “Mardi Gras” was first celebrated on Tuesday, February 11, 1975.  In the early years it was held on “Fat Tuesday” prior to the start of the Lenten season. Later it was changed to Sunday, and has been a tradition since. For the past 38 years, Irish Fest has involved hundreds of volunteers and proceeds have provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to the operating budget of the North Platte Catholic School system.

Contact Wendy Dodson, 534-5939 for more information.

The state flag gets a starring role in the relaunch of “Justice League of America” as part of a promotional push by DC Comics.

So does every state from Alabama to Wyoming. DC is releasing state-specific versions of the cover all over this land.

The Nebraska version depicts four Justice Leaguers — Simon Baz, Green Arrow, Catwoman and … is that what Vibe looks like now? — planting a State of Nebraska flag in some unidentifiable rubble (State Fair Park?) as the rest of the League looks on.

Indeed. In 2007, Iron Man sparred with Captain Ultra, one of a few members of the Nebraska Initiative who made all of two appearances in the Marvel comic.

And prior to DC’s universewide reboot of all its comic series, Superman took a brief tour through what was, according to a promo for “Superman” issue 708, supposed to be Omaha. But the Man of Steel ended up in Lincoln, flying over the Nebraska State Capitol before fending off a tornado by clapping.

The Feb. 20 issue featuring Nebraska sells for $3.99.

1939 – Composer Marlos Nobre was born.

1959 – Elvis Presley appeard after hours at the Lido Club in Paris while on leave from the U.S. Army.

1959 – Ray Charles recorded “What’d I Say.”

1968 – David Gimour replaces Syd Barrett in Pink Floyd. Barret had gone checked himself into a psychiatric hospital and then gone into seclusion.

1969 – Lulu and Maurice Gibb (Bee Gees) were married in England.

1974 – KISS released their first album “KISS”.

1974 – Yes played their first show at Madison Square Garden.

1987 – The song “Sign O’ The Times” was released by Prince.

1992 – Vince Neil quit as lead singer of Motley Crue. After 11 years with the group he says he wants to spend more time on his career as a race car driver. The band reunited on the “American Music Awards” 5 years later.

1998 – Rob Smith (Cure) did battle with the forces of musical evil (Barbara Streisand) on the TV show South Park.

2006 – In Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, the Rolling Stones gave a free concert before a crowd of over 1 million people at Copacabana Beach.

Actor George Kennedy is 88
Author Toni Morrison is 82
Movie director Milos Forman is 81
Vocalist Yoko Ono is 80
Singer Herman Santiago of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers is 72
Singer Irma Thomas is 72
Singer Dennis DeYoung (Styx) is 66
Actress Cybill Shepherd is 63
Singer Juice Newton is 61
Singer Randy Crawford is 61
Drummer Robbie Bachman of Bachman-Turner Overdrive is 60
Keyboardist Larry Rust of Iron Butterfly is 60
Actor John Travolta is 59
Game-show hostess Vanna White is 56
Actress Greta Scacchi is 53
Actor Matt Dillon is 49
Rapper Dr. Dre is 48
Actress Molly Ringwald is 45
Actor Tyrone Burton is 34
Musician Regina Spektor is 33
Bassist Zac Cockrell of Alabama Shakes is 25.

Mindy McCready, who hit the top of the country charts before personal problems sidetracked her career, has died. She was 37.

Waren Olmstead, the coroner in Cleburne County, Ark., said McCready died Sunday in Heber Springs but couldn’t immediately provide further details.  However, Andrea Canning of Dateline NBC tweeted, “Just got a call from Mindy McCready’s best friend that she shot and killed herself this evening.”  This was confirmed in news release from the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office that says McCready, 37, was found dead Sunday afternoon with what appears to be a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was found on the front porch of a home

The troubled star had been struggling following the sudden death of her boyfriend, 34-year-old David Wilson on January 13.  Although she claimed she had nothing to do with Wilson’s death, McCready’s two children Zander, 6 and Zayne, 9 months, were taken by authorities on February 6 after family members claimed she was unfit to care for them.  She decided to enter an in-patient facility for treatment.

There have been no reports of who is taking care of her two sons.

She arrived in Nashville in 1994 with tapes of her karaoke vocals and earned a recording contract with BNA Records.

In 1996, her “Guys Do It All the Time” hit No. 1 and its dig at male chauvinism endeared her to females.

However, personal problems plagued her beginning in 2004.